The Polk Theatre

1645 Polk St. | map


Opened: 1911 or so as the Polk Theatre. Its first telephone directory appearance was the edition dated October 1, 1911. By 1917 it was being called the New Polk Theatre. The photo is from the December 1, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World. Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the article.

Seating: 1,000. The 1917 article said that there were 400 at the time but noted that they had space to add many more seats.

An article in the May 15, 1923 issue of the Chronicle noted that the Royal and Polk had been sold to a "syndicate of San Francisco theatrical men for $250,000." The syndicate consisted of Robert A. McNeil (who built the New Lyceum and at the time operated the Excelsior on Mission, later renamed the Granada), Eugene H. Emmick, and Michael Naify (of T&D Junior Enterprises) and the Nasser Brothers (who built and operated the Castro). Thanks to Jack Tillmany for finding the article. 

Closing: The theatre closed c.1926, as it obviously couldn't compete with the newly built Alhambra a few blocks away. 

Status: Jack says: "I suspect the building that stands there now might still be the original, beneath all the remodeling." Other than the theatre entrance being filled in, that appears to be the case. The location is on the west side of the street between Sacramento & Clay."



The full 1917 article on the theatre from Moving Picture World. Jack Tillmany calls our attention to a little typo in the second paragraph from the bottom where they refer to the venue as the "New York Theater."

More information: Jack Tillmany's Arcadia Publishing book "Theatres of San Francisco" can be previewed on Google Books. It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller.

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